Interview with University Assembly Representatives
By Audrey Shon
Two of the student representatives in the school assembly of Fu Jen Catholic University, Roger Chen, from the History Department and Fredrica Chiu, from the Graduate Program of Mass Communication talk about the obligations of representatives and future policies. As student representatives, they are in charge of organizing the opinions of students before the assembly.
A School Assembly, according to the Ministry of Education, is a conference held regularly that enables members on campus to discuss policies and affairs relating to the school. Representatives to the school assembly in university usually consist of students, teachers, school administrators, directors, and sometimes the university president. Frederica Chiu and Roger Chen were both elected as student representatives this academic year. Chiu says that she considers the assembly to be a place that helps express the real voice of students since it is a precious chance for students to speak, but responsiveness depends on the attitudes of the chairperson or the host of the assembly. Some of them tend to interrupt the students when they are talking, while some are more considerate, valuing the rights of students.
A School Assembly, according to the Ministry of Education, is a conference held regularly that enables members on campus to discuss policies and affairs relating to the school. Representatives to the school assembly in university usually consist of students, teachers, school administrators, directors, and sometimes the university president. Frederica Chiu and Roger Chen were both elected as student representatives this academic year. Chiu says that she considers the assembly to be a place that helps express the real voice of students since it is a precious chance for students to speak, but responsiveness depends on the attitudes of the chairperson or the host of the assembly. Some of them tend to interrupt the students when they are talking, while some are more considerate, valuing the rights of students.
Fredrica Chiu at conference hall, taken during the assembly, photograph by Audrey Shon, Nov. 25 2020
When first elected as the assembly representative, Chiu admits that she felt puzzled and nervous, but every time she participates in an assembly, her anxiety lessens. For a responsible representative, preparation is of vital importance. All representatives receive documents containing detailed information about the procedure and topics of an assembly in advance.
“At first, those regulations about the assembly were really difficult and drove me crazy…there is a lot of jargon in a serious official conference, such as proposals, reconsiderations, vetoes, and motions.” According to Chen, many procedures made reference to regulations in the Legislative Yuan, so it was a tough task for non-law major students to understand them. “Luckily, I have a good memory to memorize them in a short time.” Chen thinks that he now has better confidence and anticipates that he will be able to cooperate with other student representatives in the future. Chen states that there are two types of representatives: those who are active and always take part in the discussion, and those who were forcibly elected by their classmates and teachers. Only a few people belong to the former category. Some representatives even skip the assembly because they lack the determination and sense of responsibility to attend.
“At first, those regulations about the assembly were really difficult and drove me crazy…there is a lot of jargon in a serious official conference, such as proposals, reconsiderations, vetoes, and motions.” According to Chen, many procedures made reference to regulations in the Legislative Yuan, so it was a tough task for non-law major students to understand them. “Luckily, I have a good memory to memorize them in a short time.” Chen thinks that he now has better confidence and anticipates that he will be able to cooperate with other student representatives in the future. Chen states that there are two types of representatives: those who are active and always take part in the discussion, and those who were forcibly elected by their classmates and teachers. Only a few people belong to the former category. Some representatives even skip the assembly because they lack the determination and sense of responsibility to attend.
Roger Chen during the interview, photograph by Audrey Shon, Nov. 26 2020
When asked about the future plans of the representatives, Chen states that one of the major concerns of the students this semester is the repair and purchase of public facilities for safety concerns, such as monitors and street lights on campus. These facilities can ensure the safety of those who stay late at school. Another major issue is that students want to have access to participate in the gender equality commission on campus. Recently, many of the gender inequality cases on campus were not properly solved due to a lack of communication between the litigants and the directors in the commission, negatively affecting the university’s reputation. Therefore, some representatives want to join in the process of investigation and judgment of related cases in order to resolve disputes and protect litigant students.
Ultimately, the school assembly is a place where representatives are able to learn more about the workings of the school’s processes. Both representatives worry whether future student representatives will care about their rights, considering that a lot of students currently don’t even know about the existence of the school assembly. Chiu strongly recommends those who are interested in school affairs to notice the news about assemblies on campus. “The university will be a more comfortable place to study if more students, no matter representatives or not, are willing to care about and propose topics that the university can do something about,” says Frederica Chiu.
Ultimately, the school assembly is a place where representatives are able to learn more about the workings of the school’s processes. Both representatives worry whether future student representatives will care about their rights, considering that a lot of students currently don’t even know about the existence of the school assembly. Chiu strongly recommends those who are interested in school affairs to notice the news about assemblies on campus. “The university will be a more comfortable place to study if more students, no matter representatives or not, are willing to care about and propose topics that the university can do something about,” says Frederica Chiu.